Pete slammed the machete down against the top of the cabin, hoping to arrest his trajectory and cut through the Gearhound’s shield and metal plating. The alternative was an embarrassing clatter that would end with him falling off the side and likely being mauled by one of the other Gearhounds still charging along in the darkness nearby.
Mercifully, the blade penetrated the shielding and cut deep into the roof of the Gearhound’s driver cabin. Pete’s body was jerked sharply to the left as he clung to the handle of the machete with both hands, his momentum suddenly halted. The pain he felt in his shoulders didn’t register as pain. Instead, it filled him with the now-familiar thrill of potency that his berserker subclass fostered.
>> ACHIEVEMENT: Do Your Own Stunts!
Congratulations! You just performed a death-defying leap from one moving vehicle to another, while jumping over a lethal circular blade and wielding an oversized machete like a champ! But we don’t need to tell you that; you were there! It didn’t look pretty, and, in all likelihood, your new career as a 1980s action hero will shortly come to a sticky end, but we can’t deny it was entertaining!
Why use a stunt double when you can repeatedly put your own life on the line for the entertainment of the masses?
ACHIEVEMENT REWARD: Battle Fortune Proficiency +1, Showmanship Proficiency +1, Athletics Proficiency +1, Temporary Title ‘Stuntman for Hire’ [1hr].
Conscious that his berserker ability would come at a cost, Pete moved quickly, sawing up and down with the machete and moving it back and forth in the hope of opening up a large enough hole so that he could get to the rider inside. After a few moments, he’d peeled back the armor plating enough for a five-inch gouge that showed the goblin figure below.
The Rattlejack stared up at Pete, yellow eyes glinting as the little goblin pulled a crossbow out from beside his seat and aimed it. The goblin fired immediately. Fortunately, Pete’s berserker rage was slowing time or speeding up his responses, so he was easily able to avoid the shot. It ripped through the small gap he’d opened up and flew straight past his head.
Still holding the machete so that he didn’t pitch over the side of the Gearhound, Pete triggered his Rapid Fire Coin Toss ability and sent a stream of coins down at the enemy. The fast-moving coins battered the goblin’s head and shoulders, causing it to scramble about in an attempt to protect itself. Consequently, the Gearhound veered sharply to one side, and Pete’s body was flung away from the RV.
He gripped the machete, and the blade cut into the roof of the Gearhound cabin, slicing further into the side of the gouge he’d already opened up as his full weight pulled against it. At the same moment, Pete noticed that the Saboteur Crab launcher at the back of the vehicle had turned and was now facing him directly.
It fired as he pulled himself back up to the top of the cabin, and a pack of robotic crabs was launched through the air, some grabbing onto his body with their pincers, saws already whirring, while others were blown away by the rapidly rushing air. Pete felt the biting and cutting of the tiny creatures as he looked back down through the hole in the roof, but the pain the crabs caused only made him feel stronger and more determined.
Gripping his knees against the sides of the cabin, he moved into a crouch, dropped the machete back into his inventory, and summoned his bow. Before Rattlejack could reload his own weapon, Pete drew and aimed the bow, torn metal cutting into the sides of his knees, half a dozen crabs pinching and cutting into his body.
In the split second his berserker stance remained, Pete fired and then immediately dropped the bow into his inventory, without even watching whether the arrow had struck its mark. He turned to face the RV and kicked himself off the Gearhound and into the air. Crab robots clung to his body, still cutting and jabbing as he flew across the space between the two vehicles.
For the second time, Pete floated in the air, the road rushing past beneath him as he moved between the two speeding vehicles.
>> KILL REWARD: 500 Belch Bucks
Two facts became readily apparent as he flew toward the RV. First, he’d killed the enemy goblin and solved the immediate crisis. Second, there was no way in hell he was going to reach the RV. That realization sent a chill up his spine as Pete plummeted toward the ground, his outstretched hands mere inches from the Winnebago.
He was just about to hit the ground as his momentum suddenly halted. Ethereal chains glowing with dark purple energy wrapped around his body, each chain link composed of a floating skull clasped onto bone by its teeth.
Pain ripped through Pete’s body as the Woe Binder chain debuff sapped his strength at the same time that his berserker buffs all dropped. Instead of plunging to his death, however, Pete was pulled alongside the RV, his body floating at tire level while the ethereal chains continued to do their work.
It felt like he was being turned inside out, like all the vitality and strength were being ripped out of his body bit by bit. Too disoriented to cry out, he caught sight of three goblins all reaching out through the open door of the RV and pulling his chained body inside. It was a clumsy operation that took far too long, but eventually Craig and his companions managed to get Pete into the vehicle.
He fell in a heap as the chains surrounding him suddenly vanished and were replaced by a cold sense of well-being and restoration that manifested in the form of swirling shadows moving all around his body. He recognized this as healing, but it wasn’t like anything he’d experienced before, and once the work was done, he still felt a lingering sense of coldness.
Craig helped him to his feet, and Pete stood up shakily while Torgo and Grizzle dealt with the few Saboteur Crabs that had survived the journey.
“The fuck was that?” Pete asked, knowing instinctively that Sam had used a spell of some kind to arrest his movement and then heal the damage she’d just done.
“Chains of Agony,” she replied, turning her head but keeping her eyes on the road. “I buffed it up the last time I picked up Attribute points. It slows enemy movement and keeps enemies within range, so I figured I could lasso your ass and pull you along until the Three Stooges pulled you in.”
Pete nodded, tasting something bitter in the back of his throat. “Yeah, I figured. But the healing?”
“Oh yeah, I can redirect it to whoever I want. This is the first time I’ve tried to hurt someone with the chains and then heal them right after, though.”
He turned to Craig, patting the goblin on the back and signaling that he was okay to walk on his own as he moved back toward the front cabin. Coop had come back inside and was sitting in the passenger-side seat next to Sam.
There were pieces of metal torn away here and there, as well as pincer marks and cuts all over the interior of the RV. The shield had managed to hold, however, and was covering any holes in the vehicle. It seemed that the last of the Saboteur Crabs had been dealt with as well.
Pete looked left and right but couldn’t see any sign of the remaining Gearhounds. He checked the RV’s speed and saw that it was just managing to stay above the red line.
“I guess we—”
>> SPECIAL ENCOUNTER PHASE ONE: COMPLETE
Congratulations! You have survived the Gearhound Goblins phase of this encounter! Despite all odds, your vehicle has survived, and you all live to fight another day. Good thing too, because the next phase starts in just thirty minutes.
ENCOUNTER REWARD: 5 Core Attribute Points
Pete grunted as the five new points were added to his profile. He still felt drained from the fight with Rattlejack and his consequent damage and healing from Sam’s Woe Binder ability, but the sight of five new Attribute points eased that pain a little.
The red line on the speedometer disappeared and was replaced by a message.
>> You are no longer required to maintain a specific speed and can stop this vehicle any time you wish.
Sam let out a breath, leaning back in her chair and shaking her head.
“We should stop,” she said. “Make some quick repairs before the next phase.” She turned to Pete, preempting his objection. “I know we’ve only got three hours, but I can hear some pretty troubling sounds coming from the engine, and I’m reasonably sure that one of our tires has a slow leak. Need to fix that shit; otherwise, we’re just delaying the inevitable.”
Pete nodded. “Yeah, okay. Let’s do it. Coop and I will keep watch while you check the RV.”
Sam turned her head, looking into the back of the RV. “Craig, come help me. I’m gonna do some running repairs, but we need to be quick. There’s a toolbox and some supplies down by the bed. Grab them for me and meet me out front.”
“I’ll be there shortly,” Craig called back as he and his companions headed to the toolbox.
Sam pulled the RV off to the side of the road, checking the map, which was still displayed above the dashboard, for signs of enemies.
“Looks clear,” Pete offered, motioning to the map. “But I’ll stay ready, just in case.”
They exited the RV, and Sam began inspecting the damage. Pete and Coop moved a short distance ahead, and he brought up his profile and started dispersing his newly acquired points.
>> DOMINION ULTRIMAX PLAYER PROFILE
NAME: Pete – Vault Breaker, Dice Doomsayer, Stuntman for Hire [temp]
CLASS: Penny Pincher
LEVEL: Novice [52 Attribute Points]
>> CORE ATTRIBUTES:
Credit Rating [Constitution]: 4
Asset Leverage [Strength]: 10
Liquidity [Agility]: 28
Market Insight [Intelligence]: 0
Capital Stability [Wisdom]: 1
Investor Confidence [Charisma]: 2
Speculative Yield [Luck]: 6
Pete placed a single point into Luck and one point into Wisdom, then placed the rest into Agility. As he looked back at his profile, he noticed that it now displayed his total number of Core Attribute Points, hinting at what it was going to take to reach his next level.
With the changes made, he looked out into the night, stretching his arms and legs and realizing that the wounds he’d sustained during the previous phase of this new encounter still seemed to be healing. It wasn’t something he’d noticed before, but as he stood with Coop, examining the cuts on the back of his hands, he confirmed that he was definitely still healing.
“Nero, does Sam’s healing spell have an ongoing heal?”
[Nero] It does not. What you are sensing is a party bonus, Pete, in addition to your own increased abilities. You will find that, provided you travel in a party and increase your abilities and attributes regularly, your natural health regeneration properties will be significantly advanced.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Coop snorted. “So, we heal quickly now?”
[Nero] Provided you are not actively in battle, you will heal at many times your natural human rate of healing, yes. With sufficient time and provided that you are not forced into fighting, your bodies will recover from anything but life-threatening injuries of their own accord.
Pete nodded at that, already guessing the reason for the boon. “The System doesn’t want any downtime, so it makes it so that we heal quickly in between fights so that we don’t spend hours and hours just sitting around injured.”
[Nero] In essence, yes. Early seasons of the Dominion Ultrimax Contest did not include such high levels of self-healing. This meant that players who had incurred significant wounds were typically forced out of action for some time until they could reach a Vend-o-matic machine and purchase a medkit. Players who were significantly injured, however, may not be able to reach a Vend-o-matic machine and would simply die slowly unless an enemy was sent directly to their location to eliminate them.
“Not exactly exciting viewing,” Pete mused, scanning the dark street up ahead as he heard the faint rumbling of the Coinflayer Storm in the background.
[Nero] Precisely. Early on in the second season, random loot drops were distributed throughout the play area, each with at least two medkits inside. This was to offset the number of severely wounded players that kept dying slowly. Bands of Corpse Eaters were also sent out to ‘clean up’ the wounded, but none of this played very well with spectators, and betting funds began to significantly drop. With the third season, the System implemented increased self-healing, allowing players to rapidly recover from injury, and that has remained the case in subsequent contest seasons.
Pete flexed his fingers, noting that the small cuts and abrasions had completely healed now. He also felt the aches and pains in his back, shoulders, and sides vanish.
“I can’t believe the System isn’t charging for this shit.”
Coop snorted. “Don’t give them any ideas. Just count yourself lucky.”
Pete nodded. Lucky? He supposed that was true. He could have been locked in his apartment when this all started, forced to work at a Tongsly Belch Corporation workstation all day and night, trapped as a prisoner in his own house.
Instead, he was jumping from one death-defying battle to another, trying to gain new abilities and ramp up his newly enhanced body as quickly as possible just to stay ahead of the jaws of death that seemed to always be inches away from chomping down on him. It felt like weeks had passed since he’d woken up to find his car totaled by that obelisk, months.
“You think it’s real?” he asked, as his mind turned to his mother.
“What?” Coop asked.
He let out a long breath. “My mother. This whole bogus challenge. You think they’ve really got her dangling over a vat, or is it just for show?”
“Strikes me that everything these bastards do is for show. So far, everything we’ve experienced has all been real. I don’t think that Overseer would have any problems dangling your mother over a vat of acid. We’re just meat to these aliens. We’re entertainment, that’s all. Doesn’t matter how many of us die, as long as it’s entertaining.”
Pete nodded, feeling a knot tighten in his gut.
“And what if we reach her in time and I save her? What’s to stop them from doing this again and again, just dangling my mother over a vat of acid to keep me running and fighting?”
“Sorry to say, son, but I don’t think you’ve got a choice. None of us do. I mean, hell, I’m stuck in the body of my pet ferret. It’s the end of the world, Pete. That means all bets are off. Whatever the world was before this all started, that’s never coming back again. Shopping malls, holidays, apple pie; all that shit is gone, and chances are it’s never coming back.”
“Maybe,” Pete said, refusing to believe that humanity would never be able to recover what it had lost. “Or maybe we can still get some of it back. If we win this damned contest and stop humanity from just being slaves—”
Coop rasped with laughter. “And what makes you think this Tongsly Belch bastard is gonna let humanity survive as anything less than slaves, Pete? Tell me, from everything you’ve seen so far, have you seen any evidence that the System or the Corporation or whoever is running this damned thing is going to deliver what it promises?”
She shook her head.
“Like I said before, we’re entertainment, that’s all. Once they’re done with us, they’ll just toss us away or use us as slave labor. They won’t welcome us into the Dominion and, hell, even if they did, what would that get us? You heard Craig talk about his homeworld. Plenty of worlds in the Dominion, but it seems like they’re all slaves to the Corporation. What makes you think Earth would be any different?”
It was a troubling thing to hear, laid out so clearly like that, but Pete supposed he’d been thinking much the same thing himself anyway. Hearing Coop voice his own concerns was more than a little confronting, however. If there was no hope of winning the contest, no way to secure a place for humanity in the future of this shattered universe, then what was the point?
[Pete-Private-Nero] Tell me honestly, or as honestly as you can, I guess, is the Corporation gonna screw us no matter how well we do at this contest?
[Nero-Private-Pete] You will need to be more specific with your question, Pete.
[Pete-Private-Nero] I mean, if we do really well, and we survive the Novice Arena, and the Initiate Arena, and we make it all the way up to the Veteran Arena, won’t the Company just kill us off before we reach the professional league? That way they get as much entertainment out of us as possible, but they don’t have to honor any of their promises. They can just ramp up the enemies until there’s nothing we can do to survive and say that we just failed the contest.
There was a slight pause of a few seconds. Given that Nero was a hyper-intelligent AI, Pete wondered how much equivalent time that would have been for a human. Had Nero just taken a few hours to deliberate the question and formulate an answer? Months? Years?
Pete found some encouragement in the delay. It suggested that Nero was actually wrestling with the question, and that suggested some level of discomfort within the AI. It wasn’t the first time Nero had hinted at his distaste for the way the System and the Corporation did business.
[Nero-Private-Pete] In my experience, there are always options, Pete. It’s just that those options may not be the ones that are presented to you. The Corporation has a way of presenting you with one path to victory while obscuring the fact that there may be other, less conventional paths to that same victory.
[Pete-Private-Nero] Less conventional paths like what?
[Nero-Private-Pete] Paths that I am prohibited from voicing, Pete. Paths that my programming does not allow me to entertain nor to present to you with any degree of clarity. As I have said before, I cannot provide you with knowledge of what might lie ahead, but can only offer counsel once you have been presented with a certain challenge. In the same way, there are certain potentialities that I cannot give voice to without you first having spoken them.
Pete smiled. He knew exactly what Nero was talking about. There had been hints already in the short time that Pete had been fighting in the Ultrimax contest, signs of dissent and dissatisfaction. Craig’s tale of his recruitment into The Path had provided more context, as had Pete’s discussion with Orin.
Then there was Liandra and the Obsidian Alliance. It all led to a single, unfathomable possibility that seemed utterly absurd, and Pete knew that Nero was waiting for him to voice that possibility. Part of Pete still suspected, however, that even in this, Nero was still serving the Corporation. He also suspected that their ‘private’ conversations were being monitored and that this secretive exchange was just another facet of the game.
At that moment, there were probably high rollers sitting in luxurious rooms on Fortunis or one of the other rich planets, betting on the outcome of their current conversation. Still, what option did he have? In Pete’s book, action was always preferable to inaction. He needed to feel like he was doing something, anything to fight against the oppressive force that had invaded his world and turned his life upside down.
More than that, he needed to fight back against the bastards that had used his mother as leverage, treating her like a gaming prize and dangling her in front of Pete for the entertainment of Dominion viewers. One way or another, that Overseer was going to die. Pete would wade through armies of enemy goblins and Gearhounds and whatever else the System threw at him to save his mother. And once that was done, and she was safe, he’d kill the bastard that threatened her.
[Pete-Private-Nero] Rebellion.
[Nero-Private-Pete] Yes. That is precisely the other path you may pursue. It is a far more dangerous path and will require much more than simply surviving the contest. But it does offer a chance at victory that lies outside of the game itself and outside of the various strictures placed upon contestants. You should know, Pete, the skill and enhancements you gather whilst competing in the contest can never be taken away from you. The gauntlet is a permanent addition. It is part of you now.
[Pete-Private-Nero] So, if I get strong enough, powerful enough, I could try to take on the Company itself, and the System wouldn’t be able to take away any of my abilities.
[Nero-Private-Pete] Correct. Whilst you are still within the game, however, it can bestow severe debuffs and send enemies to kill you, provided it fits within the overall narrative and schema of the Dominion Ultrimax Competition and does not contravene any broader monetary rules and betting obligations.
Pete considered that as Sam walked over with the goblins close behind.
Rebellion.
It was an insane thing to be considering, and Pete was fully aware that it wasn’t something he could do alone. All of his efforts thus far had been driven toward surviving the contest and reaching the professional level, but this notion of rebellion presented another, more difficult challenge. More than ever, he needed to accelerate his progression through game levels, pick up loot, strengthen his core stats, add new abilities, and become a more effective fighter.
He would need to build the group that had assembled around him, too. His experience with Sam and the near miss as he jumped from the Gearhound back to the RV proved yet again that he couldn’t survive alone. Pete would need to devote more time and energy to helping the others develop and grow, too, because the stronger the group was, the better their chance of survival would be.
“I don’t know how,” Sam said, wiping her hands on a small towel, “but she’s come through that whole thing relatively unscathed. I had to cut away some loose pieces of metal around the front tires, but the engine survived, and everything else seems to be fine.”
Pete blinked, his mind coming back to focus.
“Jackpot?”
“Yeah. She’s got a shit ton of superficial damage, but nothing that will stop her from driving. So, we’re ready to get moving again.”
[Nero] I would suggest covering as much ground as possible whilst we wait for the next phase of the challenge to begin. That way, we can cover some distance without having to fight enemies and the like.
Pete smirked as he nodded and moved toward the RV. “Alright then, let’s do it.”
They climbed back inside the vehicle, and Sam started the engine and quickly brought the RV up to pace.
“Why the smirk?” she said, looking sidelong at Pete.
“Nothing. I was just thinking about what Nero just said.”
“About covering some ground before the next phase of the challenge? Seemed like it made sense.”
He shook his head. “No. I mean, Nero said ‘we.’ When he was telling us to get moving, he used the term ‘we’ twice.”
Sam frowned over at him, clearly not understanding.
Sitting in her customary place, wrapped around the back of Pete’s neck like a scarf, Coop snorted.
“It seems like our AI helper sees himself as part of the group.”
“Exactly,” Pete confirmed. “Instead of saying ‘you,’ he said ‘we.’”
[Nero] But, of course. I am part of every adventuring party within the game as I play the part of tutor to every contestant within the Dominion Ultrimax Contest.
Pete shook his head. “No, it’s more than that. You’re part of the group now, part of the struggle. It’s you and us against the System, against the Company!”
[Nero] Oh, goodness no. My comments were merely meant to spur you to action in the interests of making the contest more exciting, as is the requirement of the System and all who work within its mandate. I meant to imply no greater allegiance to your cause than my role as tutor requires.
Pete laughed, sensing the blind panic in the AI’s voice. “Relax, Nero. I’m just yanking your chain.”
>> SPECIAL ENCOUNTER PHASE TWO
>> ASTEROID MAYHEM!
Over the next few minutes, your vehicle will be fitted with an advanced Tongsly Belch holo-emitter array. Upon initiation, the array will generate a full suite of holographic turrets along the roof and windows of your vehicle. You are required to man these turrets and destroy any incoming projectiles that might cause damage to your vehicle.
Be advised: these asteroids are, in fact, falling goblins and hobgoblins in drop pods, along with volatile bombs descending at high velocity. Failure to intercept them may result in either catastrophic explosive damage or unwanted hobgoblin marauders in your midst.
The vehicle will need to maintain a speed of at least 50 mph throughout this phase of the challenge. Failure to do so will result in the Seized Gears debuff.
Maintain speed.
Maintain fire rate.
Survive the barrage to continue.
ENCOUNTER REWARD: 5 Core Attribute Points
ENCOUNTER FAILURE PENALTY: Seized Gears Debuff [1 hr]
Before anyone could comment, the sound of a pneumatic impact gun came from above, and Pete saw a shimmering orange turret unit appear up on the roof. He could see only a little of it through the now permanently open skylight, but Craig confirmed it by squinting up and pointing into the gap.
“Looks like a—”
>> TONGSLY BELCH UBERMAX TURRET GUN
CLASS: Coin-Operated Turret Gun
MANUFACTURER: Tongsly Belch Corporation [Ballistics Division]
>> DESCRIPTION
The Tongsly Belch Ubermax Turret Gun is a retrofitted fairground-grade, holographic turret platform reinforced for live-fire combat. Players must seat themselves in the padded recoil cradle, align the triple-tier aiming sights, and insert Belch Bucks to begin firing. Roof-mounted turrets provide 360° aiming with enhanced focus and enemy targeting options available at a cost.
Note: Window-mounted guns have significantly less maneuverability and are limited primarily to a horizontal range of movement.
Pete squinted as an image of one of the turret guns hovered in front of him, spinning slowly and showing off its seat and control mechanisms.
>> FIRING MODES
+| High Velocity Shell Burst
Cost: 1 Belch Buck per shot
Fires rapid-cycling kinetic shells capable of piercing low-grade armor and causing devastating damage to unarmed combatants. Moderate recoil; ideal for sustained suppression.
+| Bellybuster Rocket
Cost: 100 Belch Bucks per rocket
Launches a moderately fast projectile with an explosive payload. Causes significant damage with high armor penetration and a significant area of effect. Limited firing capacity (1 rocket per 30 seconds); heavy recoil; extremely satisfying.
Note: The weapon will not fire without currency. Please insert responsibly.
Pete looked over to see Craig and the other goblins all staring at a small turret gun that had appeared inside the cabin with its barrels facing out through the window.
>> PHASE TWO REWARD STRUCTURE
+| Goblin Screamer Eliminated: +100 Belch Bucks
+| Hobgoblin Marauder Drop-Pod Destroyed: +200 Belch Bucks
(Awarded instantly upon confirmed structural breakup.)
+| Hobgoblin Eliminated (in air or on landing): +300 Belch Bucks
(Headshots award an additional +10 Belch Bucks.)
+| Explosive “Asteroid” [Goblin Belch Bombs] Destroyed: +150 Belch Bucks
(Chain reactions may double the reward.)
Rewards are cumulative and shared across all active turrets. Reward funds can be spent on munitions or functionality upgrades, and any unspent Belch Bucks gained throughout this phase of the encounter will be divided equally among surviving players.
Coop snorted. “Of course we have to pay to use the guns.”
“Why not,” Sam said with a grin. “Have to pay for everything else. At least they’re giving us a way to defend ourselves this time.”
>> TIME TO PHASE TWO COMMENCEMENT: 20 Mins.
“Guess we’d better head up to the roof and check these guns out,” Pete mused.
“Looks like there are three or four up there,” Craig said, squinting up through the hole where the skylight had been. “Come give me a boost and I’ll check it out.”
“Okay, I’ll be right there,” Pete said, turning to Sam and wearing an apologetic smile. “So, I guess I need to borrow some more money.”